It has come to our attention that there is a possible phone call scam, where the person claims to be from the library system and tells people that they have a past due balance on their library account that they need to pay. The Hawaii State Public Library System does not call our patrons directly regarding fines and fees.

If you receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to represent the library, please don’t respond to their request. In addition, the Hawaii State Public Library System would like to share the following tips to help you avoid becoming a victim to a scam:

Thanks to a partnership between the Hawaii State Judiciary, Hawaii State Public Library System (HSPLS), and the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, “A2J” (Access to Justice) self-help forms such as “Advanced Health Care Directives” and “Divorce with Children” are available to improve access to the courts for people of all income levels, especially self-represented litigants.

“The Hawaii State Public Library System has more than 20 of the most frequently used civil legal forms available online, as well as state-of-the-art software that provides users with a step-by-step question-and-answer process to complete the forms easily and correctly,” said State Librarian Stacey Aldrich. “For people who do not own a personal computer or have Internet access, our public libraries provide access to the ‘A2J’ self-help forms on 800 library computers and more than 200 netbooks statewide.”

The Hawaii Self-Help Interactive Forms are easy to understand interviews that create court forms and legal documents. The interactive interviews ask a series of questions to complete a legal form or court-approved document and also provide helpful information and next-step instructions.